Step 4: The Carbon Filter / Finishing Up

Step 5: The Final Product

In order to keep things extremely simple and take up less space, i chose not to add an on/off switch to the circuit for the fan. If you choose to, you...

The purpose of the pocket-sized fume extractor is to remove all harmful fumes from the air that are created by smoldering solder. The fume extractor was built using very few parts and simply gets its job done wherever and whenever you need it without requiring an electrical outlet or large amount of space.

The fume extractor uses a 9v battery to power small 12v fan i purchased from Radioshack and contains only two soldered connections, and so it is an excellent project for anyone who is just learning to solder. Instead of containing an on/off switch, i built the extractor so that the battery is plugged into its body in order to turn it on while also acting as a stand for the extractor itself.

How does it work? The small fan sucks air containing fumes through it, and then blows them through a carbon filter that is glued in place in front of it. This effectively removes all dangerous chemicals that the fumes contain from the air around you as you solder, thus saving you from a headache as you work.

Your 'ible looks real nice. Well laid out and easy to follow.I think the only change I would make is cutting the hole slightly smaller on the hinged lid and insure that the fan is glued in place so that it blows through the lid, so that the carbon filter could be wedged between the fan and the lid to keep it in place. This would make it easy to change out as needed, without having to rip it free of the super glue.

This is great! Of the experince I've had with industrial fume extractors, this operation is reversed. The fan removes the fumes from the air by sucking the fumes into the filter, and the clean air exiting through the fan.